Marcus Davis recently spoke with Tapology’s Steven Kelliher about his future in MMA. In Part 1 of this two-part feature, Davis discusses his new deal with MFC and his outlook on getting a new start.

After being cut from the UFC following a surprising knockout loss to Jeremy Stephens in January, Davis recently signed a two-fight contract with Canadian Maximum Fighting Championships.

“At the time we had four offers and it comes down to the length of the contract, who they’re picking as potential opponents, and then money,” Davis said. “If I’m going to fight an A-level fighter, I want to be paid an A-level salary. Some of the guys wanted me to fight a great fighter for a couple of grand, and that’s not happening. It came down to who was willing to work with me and just be fair, and Mr. Pavelich [President of MFC] fit the bill. He has been totally gracious and easy to work with.”

In the weeks following his dismissal from the UFC, Davis was vocal about his desire to work his way back to the world’s top promotion in short order. After his dealings with Pavelich, however, Davis has now adopted a more open-minded approach to future opportunities.

“My mindset is that I’m going to go wherever my path takes me,” Davis said. “I’m going to keep my mind open to any offers that come my way. If the UFC offers again, I might go back there, but I don’t know what’s going to happen. Right now I’m with a new company, I’ve got a new boss, and I have to go out there and entertain and have an action-packed fight.”

Davis was originally set to make his MFC debut on April 8 against Kajan Johnson. With Johnson out with an injury, Davis will now face Curtis Demarce in his promotional debut. Beyond sizing up Demarce, Davis was asked what factor was going to maximize his success in his new lightweight division. His answer? World-class striking, plain and simple.

“I think what’s going to surprise everybody is that I don’t stand still,” Davis said. “I’m not going to stand in front of anybody. I’ll always have an outside angle when I attack. Being a southpaw, I excel at counter-punching, but I’m also not going to let anybody in MFC dictate the pace. That comes with a lot of experience. It takes a long time to get to where I am. If I took my amateur boxing career, my amateur kickboxing career, my amateur MMA career, and now my professional careers, I’ve had well over 100 fights. Out of all of those, I’ve lost less than 15 fights.”

As experienced as he is against top-flight competition, Davis knows that all his previous accomplishments in the UFC can bring about heavy expectations for a post-Zuffa career.

“In terms of confidence, I know I’ve had all these fights and I know where I’m at with my training,” Davis said. “The thing that stinks is everyone’s assuming I’m going to win because they identify me as a UFC fighter. I hate being told that I should beat somebody because this is the MMA fight game, not the boxing fight game, so anything can happen. I’m trying to stay sharp and not listen to what people are saying.”

Finally, while he is 37 years old, Davis said he is treating his post-UFC career as a new beginning brimming with potential.

“I’m looking at this as a new beginning of a new career,” Davis said. “I now have a blank piece of paper and I’m going to draw exactly what I want with my new career. I’m going to take it one fight at a time. Some people look at getting cut from the UFC as their life being over. I’m looking at it like it’s just the beginning. I have a lot to be thankful for.”

In Part 2 of our two-part spotlight on Davis, the fighter will discuss the health issues that brought about his decision to drop from 170lbs to 155lbs and what positives have come out of his new lifestyle.